Written Answers. - Prison Drug Treatment Services.
Liz McManus
Question:
88
Ms McManus
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
if he will ensure that all prison doctors receive training in methadone maintenance within a standardised approach adopted across all prisons in view of the serious deficiencies in the prison medical service and his Department's drug action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10466/99]
Róisín Shortall
Question:
92
Ms Shortall
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the average number of prisoners in Mountjoy prison misusing drugs; the range of treatments available; the numbers catered for; the proposals, if any, he has to extend these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[11564/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 92 together.
I am fully supportive of all doctors being adequately trained in relation to the medical use of methadone. Apart from their general training, a number of prison doctors have additionally undertaken such training. I am continually seeking to improve the medical services available to offenders. The recruitment of nurses for the var ious prisons is currently under way on a phased basis. Officials from my Department are involved in ongoing discussions with the EHB with a view to co-ordinating the provision of various drug treatment services.
As the main committal institution in the State, misuse of drugs in the prison system is largely concentrated in Mountjoy Prison. A study by Dr Paul O'Mahony involving a random sample of 108 prisoners published by my Department, indicated that in 1996, 66 per cent of prisoners surveyed had a history of heroin use at some time in the past and that 42 per cent of the total sample had used heroin while in prison on the current occasion. A number of measures have been introduced in recent years to curtail the smuggling in and use of all kinds of contraband, including illegal drugs, in the prisons. These include improved visiting and searching facilities, video surveillance, increased vigilance by staff, and urine testing.
All prisoners who show evidence of recent opiate abuse on committal to Mountjoy are offered a detoxification course which involves decreasing doses of methadone over a 14 day period. This regime may be altered where there are clinical indications that this is needed e.g. HIV positive prisoners and pregnant female prisoners. A small number of HIV positive prisoners in the medical unit in Mountjoy also receive methadone maintenance as part of their overall treatment for the HIV disease. A structured detoxification and counselling programme has been available in the drug free unit in Mountjoy since it opened in July 1996 This course can cater for nine prisoners every nine to ten weeks. One hundred and seventy four prisoners have successfully completed this programme to date with a further nine undertaking the programme at present.
In addition, there are weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the Medical Unit. Individual counselling is also available on request from the Probation and Welfare Service and voluntary organisations such as Anna Liffey, Coolmine Therapeutic Community and the Merchant's Quay Project who visit the prison regularly.
I am fully committed to tackling drug abuse in a comprehensive way and to this end I have recently approved a draft action plan on drug misuse and drug treatment in the prison system. The plan builds on a medical policy which has been agreed between my Department and the EHB. The action plan provides a detailed strategy to raise the level of treatment for drug addicted offenders. This includes the expansion of detoxification facilities, more drug free areas and the provision of methadone maintenance where this is considered medically appropriate.
It is my intention to continue efforts to reduce the level of drug abuse in the prison system through the implementation of the drugs action plan and by reducing as far as possible the volume of drugs smuggled into the prisons. Progress in this area to date has been greatly hindered due to the constraints imposed by severe over crowding in the committal prisons in recent years. This will be alleviated to a large extent later this year as more prison places come on stream in the new remand prison at Cloverhill, the new midland's prison and the new women's prison on the North Circular Road in Dublin. Finally, I should point out that the new Remand Prison at Cloverhill will deal with all remands in Dublin and surrounding counties for the foreseeable future and will have the capability to monitor more effectively attempts to smuggle drugs into that prison.
